Education Commons^™

“I Don't Read No Books” : How Teachers Can Use Students' Literacy Stories To Change Literacy Lives., Stephanie J. Malone

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Practitioner knowledge, as the center for change in teacher education, is the heart of The Carnegie Project of the Educational Doctorate (CPED) program. Margaret Lata and Susan Wunder explain a key principle of CPED is to grow practitioners as change agents, through the development of a Problem of Practice. In their article, Investing in the Formative Nature of Professional Learning: Redirecting, Mediating, and Generating Education Practice-as-Policy (2012), they discuss how the capstone product that evolves from this Problem of Practice should impact the professional field by producing knowledge that informs and changes professional practice.

This Dissertation in Practice, “I …

Uncovering And Responding To The Professional Development Needs Of Afterschool Program Leaders Across Rural Nebraska, Kimberly K. Larson

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

An effective state-level professional development system designed for Nebraska 21^stCentury Community Learning Centers (21^stCCLC) program leaders should consider both the unique characteristics of the program leaders themselves, as well as the rural communities where the afterschool programs are implemented. Some of these differentiating characteristics include background of the program leader and their years of experience, the size of the community, availability of staff and frequency of staff turnover, availability of potential community partners, and the quality of the relationship with the school administration and teachers where the afterschool program is implemented. Ultimately, the state-level system must …

The Impact Of Whoop Technology On Sleep, Recovery, And Performance In Naia Baseball Players, Nolan Harms

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Many key factors – including but not limited to – sleep, nutrition, travel, stress, and practice influence the optimization of athletic performance. Although previous studies have investigated the use of wearable technology in sport to track several such factors, peer-reviewed research specific to WHOOP technology is limited at best. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of WHOOP technology on sleep, recovery, and batting performance in healthy NAIA baseball players. Data was collected over the course of 4 weeks of in-season play on 10 varsity NAIA baseball players (20.40 ± 0.97 years). All games – 18 total …

Adapting Self-Directed Online Professional Development For Nebraska Public Librarians, Holli Duggan

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

From Ainsworth to Yutan, from library systems with twelve branches (i.e., Omaha) with a legal service area population of 537,709 to single libraries serving a population of less than 1,000 (which describes 60% of all public libraries in Nebraska), the Nebraska Library Commission serves very different constituencies all with different needs and different resources. Given that diversity of librarianship, as a “Problem of Practice” (Carnegie Program for the Education Doctorate, 2014) I needed to learn how to optimize the continuing education opportunities offered by the Nebraska Library Commission to this diverse constituency. This included attending to the learning needs of …

Effects Of Structural Flaws On The Psychometric Properties Of Multiple-Choice Questions, Sarah B. Mcbrien

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The sentiment that there is more work to be done than there is time is pervasive among faculty members at most academic institutions. At health science centers, faculty members often balancing teaching responsibilities, clinical loads, and research endeavors. Creative use of educational support staff may provide institutions an avenue for accomplishing goals related to quality improvement, curriculum revision, and accreditation tasks. One such task is the maintenance of a bank of multiple-choice examination items that are free of structural flaws. This study measured the effects of a systematic approach to revising structural flaws in multiple-choice questions on the psychometric properties …

Reflections On Inquiry-Based Learning In A First-Year Algebra Classroom: Implications For Practitioners, Gregory P. Sand

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This self-study examines the learning by the teacher and students in a first-year Algebra class in a medium sized Midwestern city. The author, a secondary mathematics teacher, overviews two problems of practice and outlines methodology used to study these problems within the standard curriculum of first-year Algebra taught using inquiry-based methodology. Three units of study, Inequalities, Exponents, and Parabolas are analyzed to identify the learning of students and the mathematical and pedagogical learning of the teacher. Emergent mathematical and pedagogical themes from the analysis chapters are discussed with implications for practice.

Advisor: Stephen A. Swidler

Getting To The Why: Exploring Early Career Physical Science Teachers' Discourse And Assessment Practices., Aaron Alfred Musson

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Formative assessment, or assessment for learning, is an essential component of the interactions between teachers and learners. Teachers elicit statements of understandings to decide their next instructional steps. Similarly, students communicate what they know, and apply teachers’ responses. Formative assessment is as much assessment as discourse; teachers use both to determine and respond to student needs. When teachers use formative assessments effectively, they can guide student understanding, extend discussions, probe for deeper meanings, and provide feedback. Formative assessment provides an understanding of how students are growing (or struggling), which teachers can use to adjust instruction. Frequent formative assessment is strongly …

The Impact Of Mentoring On Life Science Undergraduate Mentors, Kari Nelson

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Universities are increasingly encouraging their undergraduates to become mentors to others, yet relatively little research has been done to empirically understand the impact of this work on the mentors themselves. Therefore, the overall goals of this work were: (1) To evaluate the types of studies that have been conducted on the impacts of serving as an undergraduate mentor; (2) To examine the methodological rigor of recent studies and make recommendations for improvement; and (3) To asses if serving as an undergraduate mentor impacted the critical thinking of the mentors, using a valid and reliable instrument, the California Critical Thinking Skills …

Veteran Public School Teachers' Perceptions Of Research-To-Practice Methods And Effectiveness: A Qualitative Study, Lesa L. Brand

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In 2015, the United States government signed the Every Student Succeeds Act which called for evidence-based interventions, strategies, and programs in K-12 education. Mission statements in districts around the country echoed the need for evidence-based, or research-based practices in classrooms to bolster student achievement. While a wealth of research exists regarding the movement of research into practice, most studies are centered on teacher education programs, or pre-service teachers’ use of research in first or early years. Little is known about how veteran public school teachers apply research in their practices. In this qualitative inquiry, eleven veteran public school teachers from …

Lifelong Learning: A Strategic Analysis Of Education, Iwasan D. Kejawa

Department of Teaching, Learning, and Teacher Education: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Are outdated traditional education, distance education, information technological infrastructure, partnerships and financial resources common problematic issues facing many of the educational institutions in our world today? With this into considerations, are these issues vital in order to stabilize the political and economic embroidery of an institution or organization, and its psychological and sociological awareness? What is it that is to be learned and thought in our institutions and, what really is lifelong education; and how is to be carried out in the society of ours? It is found that education may be the training of the mind to perform desire …